July 2: Deposition of the Most Holy Theotokostranslated

Today, the Church celebrates the deposition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Blachernais and honors the memory of Saints Juvenalios of Jerusalem and Lambros Neomartyros. The fellow patricians Galvius and Candidus, going to Jerusalem on the holy pilgrimages, met a Jewish woman, who kept with great piety, in a special box, the holy Estheta (dress) of the Virgin Mary. Then the brethren, after worshiping the holy garment, set as their purpose and carried it to the Queen of the Cities.

There, they tried to hide the precious treasure in Blachernes. As soon as the emperor was informed of the transfer of the honor of Esthetos to the Seven-Hilled City, he embraced the sacred garment with great reverence, ordering the construction of a Church, where this precious relic would be placed.

The personal belongings of the Saints stand out as carriers of the grace and blessing of the Holy Spirit, to comfort and support people always with distinction. The Virgin is our constant support and consolation, but also an example of purity, humility and obedience. This consciousness is expressed by the hymn writer, through the garment of the Virgin Mary, as a blessing from God: "Your house, Lady, is holy...